The invention set forth in this specification is primarily directed to the construction and operation of ozonizers, including the circuits used in operating such devices. However, the principles of this invention are capable of being utilized in any treatment of other fluids by electron emission so as to accomplish one or more chemical changes and/or reactions.
The term "ozonizers" is commonly utilized to designate a device employed to treat either pure oxygen or an oxygen containing gas mixture such as air to produce ozone as a result of chemical changes and/or reactions occuring as a consequence of electron emission. Such ozonizers are normally constructed so as to include one or more electro-chemical "cells" for the production of ozone. Each of such cells is usually constructed so as to include two spaced, parallel electrodes separated by a dielectric or dielectric layer of uniform thickness and an air gap of uniform thickness. Normally such a cell is constructed so that the dielectric or dielectric layer is in direct, intimate contact with one of the electrodes.
During the utilization of such an ozonizer a gas as indicated in the preceding is passed through the air gap while a current is applied to the electrodes so as to cause electron emission in the air gap. Such an electron emission promotes various chemical reactions. In the production of ozone the electron movement is normally considered to break up the normal O.sub.2 oxygen molecule so as to form both the O+ and the O.sub.2 + ions. These may be referred to as "activated" atoms and molecules. They recombine so as to form the O.sub.3 ozone molecule. This molecule is comparatively unstable and is considered to break down in an ozonizer so as to form oxygen ions and the oxygen O.sub.2 molecule. Much of the efficiency of an ozonizer is the result of operating such an ozonizer in such a manner and with such a current as to maximize the amount of O.sub.3 produced at the outlet of the air gap per unit of current applied to the ozonizer.
The current used to operate such an ozonizer is recognized to be quite important. For reasons which are well understood it is conventional to employ an AC current having a sine-wave type of shape and frequencies of at least up to about 1,000 cycles per second. At least one authority has indicated that the wave form of the AC current used has no pronounced effect on the production of ozone. Frequently voltages of up to about 25,000 volts have been employed in these devices. It has been commonly recognized that such voltages should be used with relatively low current densities in the production of ozone since any significant heating in an ozonizer resulting from the use of high current densities will tend to promote the decomposition of such ozone as it is produced in a device of this type.
It is considered that virtually all aspects of the construction and operation of conventional ozonizers are primarily based upon essentially empirical observations. In other words, it is considered that the natures of the currents used in ozonizers, the specific dimensions of parts of these devices and the like, have been derived at as a result of observations indicating that specific changes and/or modes of operation would be desirable in increasing the efficiency of ozone production. Unquestionably such empirical approaches have value and are utilitarian.
However, it is considered that there remains a need for improvement in connection with the production of ozone because the efficiencies of ozone production from an economic standpoint are sufficiently unfavorable at the present time so that frequently other oxidizing agents than ozone are used in applications where ozone would be more desirable than such other agents. This need for improvement is not considered to be restricted to the field of the production of ozone. Electron emission is recognized as being capable of being used with many different liquid and gaseous fluids to promote and/or cause chemical changes and/or reactions. The use of electron emission for a wide variety of diverse chemical purposes is considered to be limited by the comparatively low efficiencies of known apparatuses, including the electrical components used with or to power emission cells.